In this Nov. 28, 2014, file photo, Target shoppers use a smartphone to look at a competitor's prices while shopping shortly after midnight on Black Friday in South Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

(Newser)
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This year's Black Friday sales, it seems, weren't as tempting as last year's. Spending was down 11%, according to the National Retail Federation. The group had expected some 140 million shoppers this year, but the number ended up closer to 134 million, Businessweek reports. But the group says this could actually be a good thing, suggesting that consumer confidence is high enough for people to skip the day's deep discounts. "The holiday season and the weekend are a marathon, not a sprint," says the NRF's CEO. Meanwhile, an analyst tells CNBC that he doubts things were really that bad—especially after Target reported its biggest-ever online shopping day on Thanksgiving, while Walmart reported its second-biggest.

Not surprising in the least. Next year, it will drop even more and the year after. Times are changing and the Consumer Revolution is just getting started.

Eguth3

Dec 1, 2014 4:56 PM CST

I think Christmas brings out the ugliness in people. I stayed home most of the 4 day weekend, traveled to Walmart on Saturday in the late afternoon, when all those crazy people were back home. I don't know why people lose their minds when Christmas comes around, they become extremely rude.

GreekChorus

Dec 1, 2014 2:33 PM CST

Do these numbers reflect online, as well as in-person shopping? I suspect that it doesn't, and that there is a real and significant shift in spending toward online retail shopping reflected in these numbers.